In the summer of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Westminster Public Library in Westminster, Colorado, recognized an opportunity to expand its digital offering to serve patrons who were confined to their homes. They partnered with Hoopla Digital to enhance patron access to digital media collections.
The implementation was a success; however, as time went on, the library faced a new challenge: while library staff members wanted to make their new digital collection discoverable, the library was concerned that loading Hoopla records would overshadow other search results in their catalog, potentially overwhelming patrons.
The library then set out to find a way to effectively represent digital collections in their catalog, offering improved access to patrons. A cross-functional team composed of library staff from information services, circulation, and collection management, and led by the automation services team, worked on the project.
To address the challenge, the library implemented the Bento Box module through the Enterprise discovery tool. This solution allowed the library’s OPAC to organize search results into “boxes” grouped by format or other elements based on patron interest. The Hoopla results were grouped into a box—along with titles from other digital resources—from which patrons could easily link to download or stream content.
Project Impact
The project was implemented on June 1, 2023, and the immediate impacts were significant:
between June 1 and July 1, Jessi Barrientos, former Collection Management Coordinator at Westminster Public Library, said that while spending increased, it did not negatively affect the library’s budget. “The boost in patron engagement was very much worth the spending increase, which kept us well within our budget,” she said.
Westminster Public Library saw a 79% increase in new users compared to previous
months, with a mere 29% increase in spending.
Barrientos added that, even with the spending increase, the library was able to stay flexible to allocate funds between physical and digital collections as needed. “This decrease in purchase requests actually resulted in cost savings,” she said.
Additionally, patrons already familiar with Hoopla were able to find titles much more easily, according to Barrientos. “We were also excited about serving genre readers more effectively, given the depth and discoverability of the Hoopla collection,” said Barrientos.
Hoopla records aren’t only helping patrons. Staff members are also using this newfound discoverability to assist patrons in finding content, including DEI titles and titles in languages other than English. In doing so, staff members are effectively training patrons by showing them how easy it is to use the library’s OPAC. This gives the patron a better user experience while freeing up staff to focus on other important tasks.
Westminster Public Library’s partnership with Hoopla and loading Hoopla
records have significantly enhanced patron access to digital resources.
Library staff also observed a reduced number of patron-submitted title request forms, as well as purchase requests for titles they didn’t have physically. Staff members are now referring patrons to digital resources more frequently, helping better utilize funds and resources previously spent on interlibrary loan requests.
The library’s innovative approach to changing patron needs has not only attracted new users and helped meet patrons where they are but also encouraged existing patrons to explore digital options, ultimately achieving remarkable increases in usage and engagement.
